Kentucky's Mark Pope Issues Stern Warning to Rick Pitino
Mark Pope is ready for Rick Pitino—and not just on the court.
The Kentucky head coach, who led the Wildcats to a Sweet 16 in his first season, is already looking ahead to a marquee showdown in December when Kentucky faces St. John's in the CBS Sports Classic.
Advertisement
The matchup, set for Dec. 20 in Atlanta, pits Pope against his former coach, Rick Pitino, in what promises to be a must-watch event.
But Pope isn't just thinking Xs and Os—he's thinking tailoring.
'I'm putting this out there so Coach P can hear it. I am bringing the suit game,' Pope said with a grin. 'I already started planning. Coach, just be ready. K? Bring it.'
He wasn't done.
'And the game's gonna be elite. I'm not going white. Listen, I'm not trying to be the Don. Like, that position's already been taken. But I'm bringing the Thunder. So I don't know what coach has prepared, but he better get with his tailor because it's on right now.'
Advertisement
It's the kind of playful energy that's made Pope an early fan favorite at Kentucky—and this game will carry a little more weight than most.
Not only are both teams expected to enter the season ranked, but it's also the first time Pope and Pitino will square off as opposing head coaches.
Pitino, now at St. John's, coached Pope during Kentucky's 1996 national title run.
St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino.Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The Red Storm are coming off a 31-5 season and will be replacing UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic field, which also includes Ohio State and North Carolina.
But come December 20? It's all about the Wildcats, the Red Storm—and the suits.
Related: Duke Suffers Major Recruiting Blow in Elite International Battle
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander And Cason Wallace Are Latest John Calipari Recruits In NBA Finals
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) points during the first half of Game 5 of ... More the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) John Calipari's tenure as the University of Kentucky's head coach ended in disappointing fashion. During the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament, the No. 3 seed Wildcats lost to No. 14 seed Oakland, the fourth consecutive season they didn't advance past the second round. Within a month, Calipari signed a deal with Arkansas. Still, Calipari left an indelible mark in his 15 seasons at Kentucky. He finished second all-time among Wildcats' coaches in victories, won the 2012 national title and advanced to three other Final Fours and three Elite Eights. He also had 50 players selected in the NBA draft, including two guards who will be playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in this year's NBA Finals. On Thursday night in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers, former Kentucky star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be in the Thunder's starting lineup, while former Wildcats player Cason Wallace will be one of the first players off the bench. Gilgeous-Alexander last month won the league's Most Valuable Player award, becoming the second player coached by Calipari to earn that honor. Former Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who played for Calipari at Memphis, won the MVP in 2011. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring (32.7 point per game) and averaged 6.4 assists and 5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9% from the floor, including 37.5% on 3's. He was first team All-NBA for the third consecutive season. During his lone season at Kentucky, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 14.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game and helped the Wildcats advance to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. The Charlotte Hornets selected Gilgeous-Alexander 11th overall in the 2018 draft but traded him that night to the Los Angeles Clippers. After his rookie season, the Clippers dealt Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder in a blockbuster trade that saw the Clippers acquire Paul George, who had finished third in the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year voting that season. In hindsight, the Thunder got by far the better end of that deal, just like it looks like they did in July 2023 when they acquired Wallace from the Dallas Mavericks for Dereck Lively II. The Mavericks selected Wallace 10th overall in the 2023 draft after he averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game as a freshman at Kentucky, which lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Wallace, who doesn't turn 22 until October, is a two-way guard who could be an important member of Oklahoma City's rotation for years to come. During this postseason, Wallace is averaging 22.4 minutes per game, seventh on the team and second among reserves only behind fellow guard Alex Caruso. And in the playoffs, he is first in the league in net rating (21.6) and defensive rating (97.9) and second in assist ratio (31.2), according to Gilgeous-Alexander and Wallace are just the latest players Calipari coached at Kentucky to appear in the NBA Finals. Former Kentucky P.J. Washington started for the Mavericks in last year's Finals, while ex-Kentucky stars Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) and Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) faced off in the 2023 Finals, ex-Kentucky guard Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) started in the 2021 Finals and former Kentucky center Anthony Davis won the title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. In all, 36 Kentucky players were first round NBA draft picks during Calipari's tenure, including three overall No. 1 picks in John Wall (2010), Davis (2012) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2015). Six of the NBA's top 20 scorers this season played for Calipari at Kentucky: Gilgeous-Alexander, Booker (25.6), Davis (25.7), Towns (24.4), Tyler Herro 23.9) and De'Aaron Fox (23.5). Meanwhile, Towns, Davis, Gilgeous-Alexander and Herro all played in the All-Star Game. Calipari is coming off a debut season at Arkansas in which the Razorbacks struggled at times before making the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. The team should enter next season in the Associated Press top 25 with the return of guard D.J. Wagner and forwards Karter Knox, Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond III and the addition of transfer forward Malique Ewin (Florida State) and freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. Calipari, who is 66 years old, has seemingly found a good fit in Arkansas to continue his Hall of Fame career. Still, despite the ending at Kentucky, he remains tied to the school due to his success on the court and developing players for the next level. Just watch the NBA Finals for proof of his impact.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Moncton Wildcats fans turn out to celebrate the QMJHL champs
Fans of the Moncton Wildcats celebrated their team at a parade in the city's downtown. The Wildcats won the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League championship and made it to the semifinals of the Memorial Cup.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Jarred Vanderbilt
Forward Jarred Vanderbilt quickly became a fan favorite when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired him in the February 2023 trade that mercifully jettisoned Russell Westbrook. He became a contributor as they made their run to the Western Conference Finals that year, even as his limitations became clear. But last season, he was riddled with injuries. A heel ailment forced him to miss the first several weeks of the schedule, and just when he was hitting his stride, he injured his foot in early February and was forced to sit the rest of the way. Advertisement That foot injury caused Vanderbilt to miss the first couple of months of this season, which made fans pessimistic that he would return at all. But he made his season debut on Jan. 25 and remained relatively healthy the rest of the way. Jarred Vanderbilt's season stats In 36 regular-season games with the Lakers, Vanderbilt averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 16.1 minutes a game while shooting 48.8% from the field. In the first round of the NBA playoffs, he averaged 1.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes a game while shooting 33.3% from the field. Overall analysis Vanderbilt, the 6-foot-8 forward in his seventh season out of the University of Kentucky, continued to be a spark plug off the bench for Los Angeles. He would often box out hard and help out on the boards, which was something the team badly needed. Defensively, he continued to show his versatility and effectiveness by guarding players at multiple positions. Advertisement However, his weaknesses remain intact. He shot 28.1% from 3-point range, and he's the type of player opposing teams would almost practically pay to shoot the ball from the perimeter. He isn't a strong finisher at the rim in traffic, and sometimes, his effort and energy aren't fully consistent from game to game. Figuring out how to best use Vanderbilt on the offensive end continues to be a process for the Lakers. He can handle the ball in transition and finish fast breaks fairly well, but in the halfcourt game, he often seems nearly useless offensively. What's next for Vanderbilt? The forward signed a contract extension prior to last season, and that extension runs through the 2027-28 season. While he will make between $11.5 million and $13.29 million for the rest of that contract, he may not be an easy player to trade due to his very limited offensive game. Advertisement Still, expect to see his name in trade rumors and mock trades over the next few weeks until the Lakers' roster for next season takes shape. Overall grade: B-minus/B This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Jarred Vanderbilt
